An 11 000-year record of vegetation and environment from Lago di Martignano,Latium, Italy

A pollen diagram from Lago di Martignano, a maar lake in central Italy, provides an 11000-year record of vegetation and environment change. The earliest pollen spectra are dominated by Artemisia and Gramineae, representing late glacial steppe vegetation typical of the Mediterranean region. Broad-leaved forests were established by ca. 11 000 yr BP. Although Quercus initially dominated their canopy, a wide range of other mesophyllous trees were also present. Pollen values for sclerophyllous tree and shrub taxa characteristic of Mediterranean woodlands and scrub are initially low (<10%). After ca. 7000 yr BP, however, they begin to increase and rise to a peak of >40% of total land pollen at ca. 6700 yr BP, with Olea europaea the single most abundant taxon. Human influence upon the vegetation only becomes significant somewhat after this peak, with progressive clearance of woodland and expansion of herbaceous communities. Castanea sativa and luglans regia pollen is recorded consistently from the beginning of the rise in pollen values for taxa characteristic of Mediterranean scrub communities. Pollen values for arable crops increase progressively after ca. 5500 yr BP, following the peak pollen values for taxa characteristic of Mediterranean scrub vegetation. Late glacial and Holocene climate changes have been complex in this region, with the present character of the climate developing only during the last millennium. Rates of change of pollen spectra peak during this period.     

Response of chironomids to Late Quaternary environmental change in the Taitao Peninsula,southern Chile

An Erratum has been published for this article in Journal of Quaternary Science 17(7) 2002, 721. There is conflicting evidence concerning the extent and timing of late Quaternary climate variability in southern South America and how this may be linked to climate change in the Northern Hemisphere. Critical unresolved questions include whether or not a cool period occurred in southern South America during the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YDC) (11 000–10 000 ¹⁴C yr BP; 13 000–11 200 yr BP), and the timing of wet and dry phases during the Holocene. To date most evidence is from glacial, pollen and beetle records but, in an attempt to resolve these questions, we have used chironomid midges as an independent proxy in one of the first studies of its kind in Patagonia. We investigated the dynamics of midge assemblages during the Late‐glacial and Holocene at Lago Stibnite on the Taitao Peninsula, southern Chile (46°S). Changes in the midge assemblage suggest that the climate may have become cooler and drier during the YDC. During the Holocene there were cyclical changes in the midge assemblage that may have been in response to trophic change and/or to changes in precipitation when conditions appear to have been drier than today at 9400–6300 ¹⁴C yr BP and 2400–1600 ¹⁴C yr BP. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late‐glacial and Holocene record of vegetation and climate from Cynthia Bay,Lake St Clair,Tasmania

A Late‐glacial–Holocene pollen record was obtained from a 3.96 m sediment core taken from Lake St Clair, central Tasmania. Modern vegetation and pollen analyses formed the basis for interpretation of the vegetation and climate history. Following deglaciation and before ca. 18450 yr BP Podocarpus lawrencei coniferous heath and Astelia–Plantago wet alpine herbfield became established at Lake St Clair. A distinct Poaceae‐Plantago peak occurs between 18450 and 11210 yr BP and a mean annual temperature depression from ca. 6.2°C to 3°C below present is inferred for this period. The marked reduction in Podocarpus and strong increase of Poaceae suggests reduced precipitation levels during the period of widespread deglaciation (ca. 18.5–11 kyr BP). The local Late Pleistocene–Holocene non‐forest to forest biostratigraphical boundary is dated at 11.2 kyr BP. It is characterised by expansion of the subalpine taxa Athrotaxis/Diselma with Nothofagus gunnii, and by the establishment of Nothofagus cunninghamii with Eucalyptus spp. A ‘Phyllocladus bulge’ prior to the expansion of Nothofagus cunninghamii, reported at other Tasmanian sites, is not present at Lake St Clair. Nothofagus cunninghamii cool temperate rainforest peaked at 7800 yr BP, probably under wetter climatic conditions than present. The maximum development of rainforest in the early–middle Holocene may indicate that the temperature was slightly warmer than present, but the evidence is not definitive. The expansion of Eucalyptus spp. and Poaceae after 6000 yr BP may be partly a disclimax effect as a result of Aboriginal burning, but appears also to reflect reduced precipitation. The changes in vegetation and inferred climate can be explained by major changes in synoptic patterns of southern Australia and the adjacent southwest Pacific. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary vegetational and climatic change in the Popayán region,southern Colombian Andes

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetational and climatic change have been studied palynologically at a site at 1750 m elevation in the subandean vegetation belt near Popayán, in the southern Colombian Andes. Time control on the pollen record is based on six AMS ¹⁴C ages, ranging from possibly Middle Pleniglacial time (around 50000 yr BP) to 1092 ± 44 yr BP. Because of the presence of two hiatuses only the Middle Pleniglacial and Late Holocene periods (the last 2300 yr BP) are represented. Pollen data indicate the presence of closed subandean forest during glacial time. Changes in the contribution of pollen originating from the uppermost and lowermost subandean forest belts, changes in the contribution of a number of other subandean forest taxa, and changes in species composition between the three pollen zones, suggest that the climate during the Middle Pleniglacial was markedly colder, and perhaps also wetter, than during the Late Holocene. Pollen assemblages from the Late Holocene indicate that the landscape has been affected by deforestation and agriculture since at least 2300 yr BP, but that human impact decreased in the last 780 yr BP. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Pleistocene–Holocene environments in Valle Carbajal, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

The authors discuss Late Pleistocene–Holocene depositional environments in one of the Fuegian Andes valleys on the basis of palynological, geomorphological, and sedimentological analyses from two sites located near the Beagle Channel. The results obtained at these localities reinforce and refine the Late Pleistocene–Holocene climatic pattern previously recorded there. A colder period, associated with the Younger Dryas stadial event, is suggested by low Nothofagus pollen frequency, and communities of grass, low scrub, and shrub heath expanded into the low/middle slopes (10,310 ¹⁴C yr BP). By ca. 9500 ¹⁴C yr BP, warmer and drier conditions occurred, as evidenced by the development of open-grown vegetation in the valley floors (pollen zone O-3), followed by the expansion of open Nothofagus woodland (pollen zone O-2) in the middle Holocene. The milder climate subsequently changed, as indicated by the spreading of the closed forest and mire (pollen zone O-1), to more humid and cooler conditions during the last ca. 5000 yr BP.     

Upper Quaternary vegetation dynamics and palaeoclimatology of the La Chonta bog area (Cordillera de Talamanca,Costa Rica)

Two pollen records from La Chonta bog (2310 m altitude) and one pollen record of a soil profile (2430 m altitude) at a short distance from the bog permit the reconstruction of the vegetational history and climatic sequence of probably the last ca. 80 000 yr of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. The three pollen records can be correlated on the basis of three radiocarbon-dated horizons (> 39 900 yr BP, 34 850 yr BP and 1390 yr BP) and palynostratigraphy. Pollen concentration data provide indirect time control between radiocarbon-dated horizons of the La Chonta 2 core. During the Early Glacial successive fluctuations of the upper forest line occurred between ca. 2300 m and 2800 m altitude and the bog is alternately situated close to the subalpine rainforest belt and in the uppermontane rainforest belt. During the Pleniglacial (ca. 50 000-13 000 yr BP) the forest line fell to ca. 2000 m altitude and paramo vegetation surrounded the La Chonta site. During the Late Glacial the forest line shifted rapidly in ca. 270 yr to 2700–2800 m altitude and the lake became surrounded by Quercus-dominated upper montane rainforest during a period of ca. 1655 yr. A distinct climate cooling (by 2–2.5°C) followed during ca. 580 yr and the upper forest line dropped to ca. 2400 m altitude. This temperature rebound is probably equivalent to the Younger Dryas event. In the depression extensive Alnus carr and swamp vegetation developed. Finally, during the Holocene, the forest line shifted to 3300–3500 m elevation and the lower montane rainforest reached close to ca. 2300 m altitude. In the later part of the Holocene subparamo scrub with Hypericum, Puya, Compositae, Escallonia and Ericaceae largely replaced Alnus carr and the regional and local vegetation closely resembles the presentday composition. During the Last Glacial to Holocene transition a shift of the upper forest line of ca. 1400 m is inferred, corresponding to a glacial temperature depression at 2300 m altitude of ca. 8°C.     

Abrupt vegetation changes during the last glacial to Holocene transition in mid‐latitude South America

A pollen record from the Huelmo site (ca. 41°30′S) shows that vegetation and climate changed at millennial time‐scales during the last glacial to Holocene transition in the mid‐latitude region of western South America. The record shows that a Nothofagus parkland dominated the landscape between 16 400 and 14 600 ¹⁴C yr BP, along with Magellanic Moorland and cupressaceous conifers. Evergreen North Patagonian rainforest taxa expanded in pulses at 14 200 and 13 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, following a prominent rise in Nothofagus at 14 600 ¹⁴C yr BP. Highly diverse, closed canopy rainforests dominated the lowlands between 13 000 and 12 500 ¹⁴C yr BP, followed by the expansion of cold‐resistant podocarps and Nothofagus at ca. 12 500 and 11 500 ¹⁴C yr BP. Local disturbance by fire favoured the expansion of shade‐intolerant opportunistic taxa between 10 900 and 10 200 ¹⁴C yr BP. Subsequent warming pulses at 10 200 and 9100 ¹⁴C yr BP led to the expansion of thermophilous, summer‐drought resistant Valdivian rainforest trees until 6900 ¹⁴C yr BP. Our results suggest that cold and hyperhumid conditions characterised the final phase of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), between 16 400 and 14 600 ¹⁴C yr BP. The last ice age Termination commenced with a prominent warming event that led to a rapid expansion of North Patagonian trees and the abrupt withdrawal of Andean ice lobes from their LGM positon at ca. 147 000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Hyperhumid conditions prevailed between 16 400 and 13 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, what we term the ‘extreme glacial mode’ of westerly activity. This condition was brought about by a northward shift and/or intensification of the southern westerlies. The warmest/driest conditions of the last glacial–interglacial transition occurred between 9100 and 6900 ¹⁴C yr BP. During this period, the westerlies shifted to an ‘extreme interglacial mode’ of activity, via a poleward migration of stormtracks. Our results indicate that a highly variable climatic interval lasting 5500 ¹⁴C years separate the opposite extremes of vegetation and climate during the last glacial‐interglacial cycle, i.e. the end of the LGM and the onset of the early Holocene warm and dry period. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Wisconsin periglacial environments of the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet reconstructed from pollen analyses

Full‐glacial pollen assemblages from four radiocarbon‐dated interstadial deposits in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana imply the presence of herbaceous vegetation (tundra or muskeg with subarctic indicator Selaginella selaginoides) on the southern margin of the Miami lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet ca. 20 000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Scattered Picea (spruce) and possibly Pinus (pine) may have developed regionally ca. 19 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, and ca. 18 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, respectively. Spruce stumps in growth position support a local source of pollen. Prior to the ca. 14 000 ¹⁴C yr BP glacial advance, small amounts of Quercus (oak) and other deciduous pollen suggest development of regional boreal (conifer–hardwood) forests. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeoenvironmental evolution and sea‐level fluctuations along the southeastern Pampa grasslands coast of Argentina during the Holocene

Holocene pollen and diatom analyses and complementary data from δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, malacology and sedimentology have provided a detailed record of vegetation history and palaeoenvironmental change at arroyo Las Brusquitas, on the southeastern coast of the pampas of Argentina especially in relation to past sea levels. Holocene palaeosalinity trends were estimated by Detrended Correspondence Analysis and by salinity indexes based on pollen and diatom data. As a consequence of sea‐level rise from the postglacial an extensive wave‐cut platform formed over which Holocene infilling sequences were deposited unconformably. In these sequences, variation in pollen and diatom assemblages occurred in agreement with changes in mollusc diversity and abundance, isotope values, and sediment deposits. Between ca. 6700 and 6190 ¹⁴C yr BP (6279–6998 cal. yr BP) saline conditions predominated in an environment highly influenced by tides and salt water during the Holocene sea‐level highstand. Between ca. 6200 and 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP (4235–4608 cal. yr BP) shallow brackish water bodies formed surrounded by saltmarsh vegetation that became more widespread from 5180 ¹⁴C yr BP (5830–6173 cal. yr BP) to 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP in relation to a sea‐level stabilisation period within the regression phase. Less saline conditions marked by frequent variations in salinity predominated between ca. 3900 and 2040 yr ¹⁴C BP (1830–2160 cal. yr BP). The intertidal saltmarsh environment changed into a brackish marsh dominated by freshwater conditions and sporadic tidal influence. Halophytic vegetation increased towards ca. 2000¹⁴C yr BP indicating that saline conditions may be due to either desiccation or an unusually high tide range with rare frequency. After ca. 2000 ¹⁴C yr BP the sedimentary sequences were buried by aeolian sand dunes. Changes in Holocene vegetation and environments in Las Brusquitas area are in agreement with data obtained from various southeastern coastal sites of the Pampa grasslands. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene river development and environmental change in Upper Wharfedale,Yorkshire Dales,England

This paper provides the first radiometrically dated evidence of Holocene alluvial landform development in Upper Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales. Four river terraces are identified. Terraces 1 and 2 are closely linked to Late Devensian and early Holocene environmental change, with gravel reworked from local glacial and periglacial sources prior to cementation by carbonate‐rich waters. U‐series dating of cement provides age estimates for cementation of between ca. 5.1–7.4 kyr BP for Terrace 1 and ca. 3.6–>8.0 kyr BP for Terrace 2. U‐series dating of tufas overlying Terraces 1 and 2 produced ages of ca. 4.2–4.5 kyr BP and ca. 2.1–2.2 kyr BP respectively, and provide upper age limits for terrace formation. Terrace 3 marks a change in sediment calibre, supply and sedimentation style, and ¹⁴C dating suggests that the principal source of fine‐grained material may be agricultural expansion in the Yorkshire Dales from ca. ad 600 (1350 cal. yr BP). Radiocarbon dates indicate that Terrace 4 was deposited from the eleventh century, with initiation of the contemporary floodplain between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries ad. Both these lowest units contain sediments contaminated with heavy metals as a result of mining activities within the catchment. The evidence presented in this study is comparable to that of research undertaken in upland environments elsewhere in northern and western Britain, thereby adding to the corpus of information currently available for evaluating the fluvial geomorphological response to climate and vegetation change during the Holocene. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late‐glacial and Holocene history of the dry forest area in the south Colombian Cauca Valley

Two sedimentary cores with pollen, charcoal and radiocarbon data are presented. These records document the Late‐glacial and Holocene dry forest vegetation, fire and environmental history of the southern Cauca Valley in Colombia (1020 m). Core Quilichao‐1 (640 cm; 3° 6′N, 76° 31′W) represents the periods of 13 150–7720 ¹⁴C yr BP and, following a hiatus, from 2880 ¹⁴C yr BP to modern. Core La Teta‐2 (250 cm; 3° 5′N, 76° 32′W) provides a continuous record from 8700 ¹⁴C yr BP to modern. Around 13 150 ¹⁴C yr BP core Quilichao‐1 shows an active Late‐glacial drainage system and presence of dry forest. From 11 465 to 10 520 ¹⁴C yr BP dry forest consists mainly of Crotalaria, Moraceae/Urticaceae, Melastomataceae/Combretaceae, Piper and low stature trees, such as Acalypha, Alchornea, Cecropia and Celtis. At higher elevation Andean forest comprising Alnus, Hedyosmum, Quercus and Myrica was common. After 10 520 ¹⁴C yr BP the floral composition of dry forest changed, with extensive open grass vegetation indicative of dry climatic conditions. This event may coincide with the change to cool and dry conditions in the second part of the El Abra stadial, an equivalent to the Younger Dryas. From 8850 ¹⁴C yr BP the record from La Teta indicates dry climatic conditions relative to the present, these prevailing up to 2880 ¹⁴C yr BP at Quilichao and to 2720 ¹⁴C yr BP at La Teta. Severe dryness reached maxima at 7500 ¹⁴C yr BP and 4300 ¹⁴C yr BP, when dry forest reached maximum expansion. Dry forest was gradually replaced by grassy vegetation, reaching maximum expansion around 2300 ¹⁴C yr BP. After 2300 ¹⁴C yr BP grassy vegetation remains abundant. Presence of crop taxa (a.o. Zea mays), disturbance indicators (Cecropia) and an increase in charcoal point to the presence of pre‐Columbian people since 2300 ¹⁴C yr BP. After 950 ¹⁴C yr BP, expansion of secondary forest taxa may indicate depopulation and abandonment of previously cultivated land. After 400 ¹⁴C yr BP, possibly related to the Spanish conquest, secondary forest expanded and charcoal concentrations increased, possibly indicating further reduction of cultivated land. During the past century, Heliotropium and Didymopanax became abundant in an increasingly degraded landscape. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mid‐Holocene environmental changes in the Bay of Skaill,Mainland Orkney,Scotland: an integrated geomorphological,sedimentological and stratigraphical study

A detailed multidisciplinary investigation of intertidal freshwater sediments exposed in the north of the Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney, Scotland, have revealed a complex sedimentary sequence. This provided evidence for dynamic coastal environmental changes in the area since the mid‐Holocene. Freshwater ponds developed on glacial sediments ca. 6550 ± 80 yr BP (cal. bc 5590–5305). From ca. 6120 ± 70 yr BP (cal. bc 5040–4855), these were infilled by blown sand from the distal edge of a dune ridge located to the west. Thereafter, a series of sand‐blow events alternating with periods of quiescence occurred until ca. 4410 ± 60 yr BP (cal. bc 3325–2900). Between ca. 5240 ± 160 and 4660 ± 80 yr BP (cal. bc 4370–3115), pollen and charcoal records show evidence of anthropogenic activities, associated with the nearby Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae. Agriculture was probably affected by recurrent sand movement and widespread deposition of calcium carbonate in the hinterland of the bay. Machair development between ca. 6100 and 5000 yr BP (cal. bc 5235–3540) corresponds to a mid‐Holocene phase of dune formation recorded elsewhere in northwest Europe. The more recent and progressive formation of the bay has probably been related to increasing external forcing via storminess, long‐term relative sea‐level change and sediment starvation within this exposed environment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene vegetation history in Romanian Subcarpathians

Pollen analysis from a peat core 7.0 m in length, taken from a bog near Bisoca, in a mid-altitude area of the Buzăului Subcarpathian mountains, is used to reconstruct the postglacial vegetation history of the region. The vegetation record, which is supported by twelve ¹⁴C dates, starts at the end of the Late Glacial period. At the Late Glacial/Holocene transition, open vegetation was replaced by forest, suggesting a fast response to climatic warming. The Holocene began with the expansion of Betula, Pinus and Ulmus, followed, after 11,000 cal yr BP, by Fraxinus, Quercus, Tilia and Picea. The rapid expansion of these taxa may be due to their existence in the area during the Late Glacial period. At ca. 9200 cal yr BP, Corylus expanded, reaching a maximum after 7600 cal yr BP. The establishment of Carpinus occurred at ca. 7200 cal yr BP, with a maximum at ca. 5700 cal yr BP. Fagus pollen is regularly recorded after 7800 cal yr BP and became dominant at ca. 2000 cal yr BP. The first indications of human activities appear around 3800 cal yr BP.     

Pollen‐ and diatom based environmental history since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Andean core Fúquene‐7, Colombia

The late Pleistocene–Holocene ecological and limnological history of Lake Fúquene (2580 m a.s.l.), in the Colombian Andes, is reconstructed on the basis of diatom, pollen and sediment analyses of the upper 7 m of the core Fúquene‐7. Time control is provided by 11 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dates ranging from 19 670 ± 240 to 6040 ± 60 yr BP. In this paper we present the evolution of the lake and its surroundings. Glacial times were cold and dry, lake‐levels were low and the area was surrounded by paramo and subparamo vegetation. Late‐glacial conditions were warm and humid. The El Abra Stadial, a Younger Dryas equivalent, is reflected by a gap in the sedimentary record, a consequence of the cessation of deposition owing to a drop in lake‐level. The early Holocene was warm and humid; at this time the lake reached its maximum extension and was surrounded by Andean forest. The onset of the drier climate prevailing today took place in the middle Holocene, a process that is reflected earlier in the diatom and sediment records than in the pollen records. In the late Holocene human activity reduced the forest and transformed the landscape. Climate patterns from the Late‐glacial and throughout the Holocene, as represented in our record, are similar to other records from Colombia and northern South America (the Caribbean, Venezuela and Panama) and suggest that the changes in lake‐level were the result of precipitation variations driven by latitudinal shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climatic change recorded by stable isotopes and trace elements in a British Holocene tufa

Combined stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and trace element (Mg, Sr) geochemistry from bulk tufa calcite and ostracod shell calcite from an early Holocene British tufa reveal clear records of Holocene palaeoclimatic change. Variation in δ¹⁸O is caused principally by change in the isotopic composition of Holocene rainfall (recharge), itself caused mainly by change in air temperature. The δ¹³C variability through much of the deposit reflects increasing influence of soil‐zone CO₂, owing to progressive woodland soil development. Bulk tufa Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by their concentrations in the spring water. Importantly, Mg/Ca ratios are not related to δ¹⁸O values and thus show no temperature dependence. First‐order sympathetic relationships between δ¹³C values and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by aquifer processes (residence times, CO₂ degassing and calcite dissolution/reprecipitation) and probably record intensity of palaeorainfall (recharge) effects. Stable isotope records from ostracod shells show evidence of vital effects relative to bulk tufa data. The ostracod isotopic records are markedly ‘spiky’ because the ostracods record ‘snapshots’ of relatively short duration (years), whereas the bulk tufa samples record averages of longer time periods, probably decades. The δ¹⁸O record appears to show early Holocene warming, a thermal maximum at ca. 8900 cal. yr BP and the global 8200 yr BP cold event. Combined δ¹³C, Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca data suggest that early Holocene warming was accompanied by decreasing rainfall intensity. The Mg/Ca data suggest that the 8200 yr BP cold event was also dry. Warmer and wetter conditions were re‐established after the 8200 yr BP cold event until the top of the preserved tufa sequence at ca. 7100 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary environmental changes on Pacific islands: controversy,certainty and conjecture

The late Quaternary history of the Pacific islands is poorly known. Most details about Pleistocene history come from studies of ocean-floor sediments, although a few insular pollen records extend back into the last glacial stage. There is limited evidence for Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) aridity and a rise in LGM–early Holocene precipitation associated with strengthening of the Southern Oscillation. The middle Holocene warming is best represented by sea-level records, which, from all parts of the Pacific, now show a contemporary maximum ca. 5000–3000 yr BP. Late Holocene cooling and precipitation increase were probably more widespread than available data suggest. The advent of humans into Pacific island environments, mostly during the late Holocene, is critically reviewed. Vegetation change may have, at least in part, been the result of climate change. Many Pacific island grasslands may be climatogenic rather than anthropogenic. Fires may have occurred naturally long before people arrived on Pacific islands. Ideas about early human impacts on Pacific island enviroments need to be critically reviewed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary vegetation, fire and climate history reconstructed from two cores at Cerro Toledo, Podocarpus National Park, southeastern Ecuadorian Andes

The last ca. 20,000 yr of palaeoenvironmental conditions in Podocarpus National Park in the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes have been reconstructed from two pollen records from Cerro Toledo (04°22'28.6"S, 79°06'41.5"W) at 3150 m and 3110 m elevation. Páramo vegetation with high proportions of Plantago rigida characterised the last glacial maximum (LGM), reflecting cold and wet conditions. The upper forest line was at markedly lower elevations than present. After ca. 16,200 cal yr BP, páramo vegetation decreased slightly while mountain rainforest developed, suggesting rising temperatures. The trend of increasing temperatures and mountain rainforest expansion continued until ca. 8500 cal yr BP, while highest temperatures probably occurred from 9300 to 8500 cal yr BP. From ca. 8500 cal yr BP, páramo vegetation re-expanded with dominance of Poaceae, suggesting a change to cooler conditions. During the late Holocene after ca. 1800 cal yr BP, a decrease in páramo indicates a change to warmer conditions. Anthropogenic impact near the study site is indicated for times after 2300 cal yr BP. The regional environmental history indicates that through time the eastern Andean Cordillera in South Ecuador was influenced by eastern Amazonian climates rather than western Pacific climates.     

Palaeoecological evidence of changes in vegetation and climate during the Holocene in the pre‐Polar Urals,northeast European Russia

This study investigated Holocene tree‐line history and climatic change in the pre‐Polar Urals, northeast European Russia. A sediment core from Mezhgornoe Lake situated at the present‐day alpine tree‐line was studied for pollen, plant macrofossils, Cladocera and diatoms. A peat section from Vangyr Mire in the nearby mixed mountain taiga zone was analysed for pollen. The results suggest that the study area experienced a climatic optimum in the early Holocene and that summer temperatures were at least 2°C warmer than today. Tree birch immigrated to the Mezhgornoe Lake area at the onset of the Holocene. Mixed spruce forests followed at ca. 9500–9000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Climate was moist and the water level of Mezhgornoe Lake rose rapidly. The hypsithermal phase lasted until ca. 5500–4500 ¹⁴C yr BP, after which the mixed forest withdrew from the Mezhgornoe catchment as a result of the climate cooling. The gradual altitudinal downward shift of vegetation zones resulted in the present situation, with larch forming the tree‐line. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ‐INTIMATE project)

It is widely recognised that the acquisition of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records from southern mid‐latitude sites is essential for establishing a coherent picture of inter‐hemispheric climate change and for better understanding of the role of Antarctic climate dynamics in the global climate system. New Zealand is considered to be a sensitive monitor of climate change because it is one of a few sizeable landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere westerly circulation zone, a critical transition zone between subtropical and Antarctic influences. New Zealand has mountainous axial ranges that amplify the climate signals and, consequently, the environmental gradients are highly sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Since 1995, INTIMATE has, through a series of international workshops, sought ways to improve procedures for establishing the precise ages of climate events, and to correlate them with high precision, for the last 30 000 calendar years. The NZ‐INTIMATE project commenced in late 2003, and has involved virtually the entire New Zealand palaeoclimate community. Its aim is to develop an event stratigraphy for the New Zealand region over the past 30 000 years, and to reconcile these events against the established climatostratigraphy of the last glacial cycle which has largely been developed from Northern Hemisphere records (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Termination I, Younger Dryas). An initial outcome of NZ‐INTIMATE has been the identification of a series of well‐dated, high‐resolution onshore and offshore proxy records from a variety of latitudes and elevations on a common calendar timescale from 30 000 cal. yr BP to the present day. High‐resolution records for the last glacial coldest period (LGCP) (including the LGM sensu stricto) and last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) from Auckland maars, Kaipo and Otamangakau wetlands on eastern and central North Island, marine core MD97‐2121 east of southern North Island, speleothems on northwest South Island, Okarito wetland on southwestern South Island, are presented. Discontinuous (fragmentary) records comprising compilations of glacial sequences, fluvial sequences, loess accumulation, and aeolian quartz accumulation in an andesitic terrain are described. Comparisons with ice‐core records from Antarctica (EPICA Dome C) and Greenland (GISP2) are discussed. A major advantage immediately evident from these records apart from the speleothem record, is that they are linked precisely by one or more tephra layers. Based on these New Zealand terrestrial and marine records, a reasonably coherent, regionally applicable, sequence of climatically linked stratigraphic events over the past 30 000 cal. yr is emerging. Three major climate events are recognised: (1) LGCP beginning at ca. 28 000 cal. yr BP, ending at Termination I, ca. 18 000 cal. yr BP, and including a warmer and more variable phase between ca. 27 000 and 21 000 cal. yr BP, (2) LGIT between ca. 18 000 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, including a Lateglacial warm period from ca. 14 800 to 13 500 cal. yr BP and a Lateglacial climate reversal between ca. 13 500 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, and (3) Holocene interglacial conditions, with two phases of greatest warmth between ca. 11 600 and 10 800 cal. yr BP and from ca. 6 800 to 6 500 cal. yr BP. Some key boundaries coincide with volcanic tephras. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Glacial and Holocene vegetation history in the southern part of Transylvania (Romania): pollen analysis of two sequences from Avrig

We present here the results of pollen analysis of two sequences of about 8.06 m and 11.90 m length, originating from two adjacent peat bogs in the southern part of Transylvania province, Romania (155 and 122 pollen spectra). The vegetation record, which is supported by 17 ¹⁴C dates, begins in the Late Glacial interstadial when forest recolonisation began with the development of Pinus, without a pioneer Betula phase. Picea began to expand from regional refuges. After a well‐defined Younger Dryas, the Holocene opens with the expansion of Betula, Ulmus and Picea, followed, at about 10 400 cal. yr BP, by Fraxinus, Quercus and Tilia. The Corylus optimum is correlated with the Atlantic chronozone (after 8600 cal. yr BP). The local establishment of Carpinus occurred at about 6500 cal. yr BP, with a maximum at about 5700 cal. yr BP. Fagus pollen is regularly recorded after 8200 cal. yr BP. This taxon became dominant at about 3700 cal. yr BP. The first indications of human activities appear at around 7200 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.